Tanzania’s President Terms Use of Birth Control as a Sign of Laziness

The outspoken president of Tanzania, John Magufuli, has stamped his foot against birth control once again. President Magufuli, who has only three children, has been very vocal against the use of contraceptives in Tanzania for the sole reason of increasing the country’s population.

When Tanzania launched free primary education back in 2016, the president told his citizens to give birth to as many children as possible. “Women can now throw away their contraceptives. Education is now free,” said the president.

In a renewed fight against contraceptives, President Magufuli told residents of Meatu Village in Tanzania not to heed to calls to use contraceptives. “You people of Meatu keep livestock. You are good farmers. You can then feed your children, why would you opt for birth control? These are my views, but I do not see any need for birth control in Tanzania,” he said.

Mr Magufuli claims that European countries are now in trouble due to lack of labour as they emphasized on birth control and having small families. The president wants Tanzanians to give birth to more children even as the government increases investment in maternal health.

To top this up, the president said that the use of family planning methods is a sign of laziness. Apparently, if you don’t want to have a football team for a family, you don’t want to work to feed that large family, “Those going for family planning are lazy because they are afraid they will not be able to feed their children,” said Magufuli.